During the course of operating a vehicle there are many situations where costs are incurred which must be settled by the vehicle driver without delay. For example, at a re-fuelling station, fuel must be paid for before the vehicle leaves the station. Further examples of where costs are incurred in this way include car parks, toll-gates or toll-bridges, and congestion charge zones in which a congestion charge applies.
Each of these charge points offers measures to facilitate payment of the associated charges in a manner that is convenient for a user, which are considered in turn below.
Many re-fuelling stations allow the user to pay at a pump, rather than having to enter a sales room to liaise with a cashier to make payment. To enable pump payment, a card reader with a number-pad is provided next to the pump, into which the user can insert a payment card to complete a fuel purchase. The user validates payment by entering a personal identification number (PIN) associated with the payment card into the number-pad. Once the correct PIN has been entered, the user removes the payment card and uses the pump to take the required fuel. Such systems typically limit the amount that can be charged to a payment card in a single transaction, for example a maximum of £100 (about $160 USD).
This system has the benefit that the user does not need to queue at a checkout in the sales room in order to pay for their fuel. Therefore, the overall time taken for the user to re-fuel their vehicle is reduced. However, the user is still required to actively pay each time they re-fuel their vehicle.
In a more advanced system, some toll-gate operators offer a method of automatic payment for regular users as a more convenient alternative to a conventional toll-gate payment method in which drivers must stop at the toll-gate to make payment, typically using cash. In the alternative system, the user registers an account with the operator. Toll charges are then charged to the user's account. Once registered, the system associates the user with a personal identifier which enables automatic identification of the user at the toll-gate. For example, the user may be supplied with a card containing an electronic chip which can be recognized automatically at the toll-gate to perform the function of the personal identifier. Alternatively, the personal identifier may be a registration plate of the vehicle, which can be recognized at the toll-gate using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) techniques. Each time the user drives through the toll-gate, the personal identifier is recognized, and a charge is added to the user's account. The user then settles their account periodically, for example every month. Settling the account can be handled automatically by billing a debit or credit card belonging to the user.
This system offers a more convenient experience for the user compared with the conventional toll-gate payment method mentioned above. Furthermore, the user does not need to carry payment means in the vehicle. However, registering and maintaining an account with the toll operator can be onerous, and typically involves an initial registration charge, and so is only worthwhile for regular users of that particular toll-gate.
A similar system is used in congestion charge zones, in that a user can register an account with a congestion charge operator. Thereafter, each time the user's vehicle enters the congestion charge zone, the operator recognizes this using ANPR, and adds a charge to the user's account. The account is then settled periodically by the user. As with the toll-gate system, use of this congestion charging system is only suitable for regular users of that particular congestion charge zone.
Turning now to car-parks, one measure that is sometimes implemented is to employ a system that uses ANPR to identify vehicles entering the car park. The system then maintains a record of how long each vehicle has been in the car park. In this way, when a user wants to pay for parking, they need only enter the registration number of their vehicle, and the cost of the stay is generated automatically. The user can then pay using a conventional payment method.
In this system, a physical ticket does not need to be issued, and thus the user can pay when leaving the car park rather than on arrival. This affords the user more flexibility, as they do not need to be concerned with returning to their vehicle before a parking ticket expires. However, the user must actively pay on each occasion, which is time consuming. In some arrangements, such as in some airport car parks, the user can register the vehicle with a car park operator so that payment can be made in advance, and the transaction is validated using ANPR. In such arrangements, there is still the drawback of the requirement to undergo a registration process with the car park operator.
As each system operates independently, the user must register which each separately. Therefore, the overall burden on the user may still be significant. This problem is compounded by the fact that even within the same category of charging system, the user may have to register with multiple operators. For example, two sets of toll-gates may be controlled by two different operators, requiring the user to undergo two separate registration procedures.
Against this background, there is a desire to provide a means of payment of charges incurred during operation of a vehicle which offers improved convenience for the user compared with known systems.